1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to furcation bodies for fiber optic cables. More specifically, the disclosure relates to furcation bodies, associated fiber optic cable assemblies having furcation bodies along with methods therefor.
2. Technical Background
Fiber optic communications has experienced explosive growth. In just a few years, the transmission of communication signals for voice, video, data, and the like has soared. Moreover, future growth is planned as fiber optic communication technology improves and networks expand to provide greater access to subscribers.
Fiber optic cables are the backbone of fiber optic communication systems. Fiber optic cables carry optical fibers and other cable elements, which are protected from the external environment by a cable jacket. However, there are several different types of fiber optic cables available for routing optical fibers toward the subscriber. The optical fibers of the fiber optic cable may be surrounded by strength members and protective elements, and may be loosely disposed within tubes (“buffer tubes”).
Optical fiber cables that carry optical signals to a home or other locations from a connection point on the distribution cable in so-called “fiber-to-the-X” (FTTX) networks are referred to in the art as “drop cables.” At the end of a drop cable, the fibers are extracted from the cable and inserted into fiber optic connection devices, such as connectors or splices, thereby forming a connection point on the end of the fiber optic cable. This process is referred to in the art as “furcation.” The furcation process must be performed with great care and precision in order to preserve optical performance. Performing the furcation process can take a great deal of time because each optical fiber in a drop cable is usually manually routed and/or furcated and then individually connected to other optical fibers. A furcation body or furcation assembly thus serves to organize the loose fibers and to protect the completed connections, while also allowing individual optical fibers to be easily handled, connectorized, spliced, or the like. The furcation assembly also prevents degradation of the prepared fibers and protects the fiber ends from moisture, dust, and other contaminants.
Furcating drop cables is required because the desired connectors may not be designed to be installed on large, rigid, outdoor-rated drop cables. Products are currently available to furcate a drop cable, or transition it into a small unprotected tube. While these products provide some protection for the coated fiber as it enters the connector, the transition from the drop cable to the tube (which typically has 1 millimeter outside diameter (OD)) is not particularly robust. Moreover, the assembly can be cumbersome and/or time-consuming to assemble in the field. Thus, a need therefore exists for improved fiber optic cable furcation assemblies and methods.